Manville Youth Athletic League

The devastation caused by Ida’s floodwaters last week has been displayed on the news and in social media and has given towns, both near and far, a glimpse into the overwhelming aftermath in Manville, NJ. Not only have so many families and businesses within our community lost virtually everything, but some of our citizens even lost their lives. What people may not see, beyond the countless homes and storefronts in shambles, is just how resilient our small community is. We have been down this path countless times before- although never to this magnitude. The residents of Manville have pulled together once again to help friends, neighbors and even strangers, clear the wreckage and begin the slow and daunting process of rebuilding. Aside from the tremendous personal losses, our community suffers other painful blows that impact the most precious members of our community- our youth. The Manville Youth Athletic League (M.Y.A.L.) is a 100% volunteer, 501c3 tax exempt non-profit organization that provides various athletic programs to the children of Manville and surrounding local towns, including football, cheerleading, and wrestling. A few weeks ago our children were bursting with excitement as they kicked off practice for the fall seasons of football and cheer. These practices are held at the M.Y.A.L. home base, Gerber Field. Our town does not possess the financial strength of our surrounding communities, but we are abundantly proud of our program, our fieldhouse and our athletes, coaches, volunteers and families. Unfortunately, our M.Y.A.L. home base was not spared Ida’s wrath and we lost most of our equipment, in addition to the physical damage to the grounds and facility. While our proud citizens always provide monetary donations, right now they are simply too beholden to their own personal financial hardships to contribute to M.Y.A.L. We are humbly reaching out to our neighboring towns, organizations and friends to ask for help. If you have the wherewithal to assist, we would greatly appreciate it and will ensure that every cent is used to rebuild and restore so that our children can continue playing their hearts out for the sports they love. There are more challenges and pressures today than every before for our youth and giving them access to team sports provides so many healthy and necessary benefits for them- please help us ensure our children can continue the proud tradition of Mustang pride through the M.Y.A.L.!

**All donations are tax deductible!